Photo: Archive/Radio Nigeria
The Minister of State Power, Abubakar Aliyu has said that the cost of electricity consumption in Nigeria is the cheapest and most defaulted by consumers in the world.
He made the assertion during an interactive session, with the Senate Committee on Power.
Mr. Aliyu said that electricity is highly subsidized in Nigeria by the federal government which made its cost, to be the cheapest across the globe contrary to what is obtained in other climes.
” Cost of electricity in Nigeria is the cheapest across the globe, particularly gas to Power, which is highly subsidized.
” For example, while cost of electricity in Nigeria is 15 cent per kilowatt, it is 42 cent in Niger Republic, 23 cent in Republic of Benin, 25 cent in Mali, 28 cent in Senegal, 27 cent in Burkina Faso etc.”
He however lamented that while government is doing its best to make electricity affordable and available for Nigerians, many of the consumers and even critical government agencies default in payment of their bills.
Similarly, the Managing Director of Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Mr Sulyman Abdulaziz, said high rate of defaults on electricity bills by critical government agencies had led to disconnection of Electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOs) in Kaduna and Kano from the National grid.
He said though they have been temporarily reconnected they must make payment through the affected DISCOs to TCN within the 60-day period.
The Chairman of the Committee, Senator Gabriel Suswam, suggested deduction from source, electricity bills of such agencies by the Ministry of Finance.
According to him, one of the complaints made by the DISCOs, particularly those of Kaduna and Kano, is enormous debt incurred by them from electricity bills defaulters.
‘The DISCOs as stated in the written complaint specifically mentioned military formations across the country, Educational Institutions, State Governments etc “, he said.
Reporting by Amaka Ene; Editing by Annabel Nwachukwu